Artsnacks Review: February 2018

***A few words before we get into it: I’m happy and thankful for all of those that watched my video review last month! However, after unsuccessfully recording the process of January’s Artsnacks Challenge, I’m temporarily reverting back to the blog reviews until I can find an alternative way of video storage, or… just get a camera. Moving on!

Ah, February. The month where partners purchase overpriced chocolate for their loved ones and hope they don’t make the connection that roses that die within two weeks probably aren’t the best thing to purchase as a symbol of their affection.
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BUT WORRY NOT, FOR I HAVE BOXES, AND THESE BOXES HAVE SNACKS.

The candy hearts survived because I wasn’t sure if there were the ones that were actually kind of flavorful, or if they were the chalk-candies filled with disdain. Either way, some fun gadgets in the February collection!

​I’ll be bundling these guys together, because as I’ve said in previous reviews, paper by itself isn’t super interesting, and a brush also can’t do much on its own. I would also like to take a moment to mention that, while I feel my water color skills are mediocre, I’m excited to have these! The paper is a bonus item in this box, and is Fabriano Artistico Watercolor Paper. This 140lb paper is 100% cotton, sturdy and durable. It doesn’t have a super hard tooth to it like some watercolor paper does, so it feels nice to touch!

​Artsnacks spoiled us this month with these tubes of watercolor, with the combined retail value of the two nearly being the price of the subscription itself! Master has given us Sennelier French Artists’ Watercolor – the colors I received are Lemon Yellow and Neutral Tint (Black. It’s black.) Triple-milled and formulated with honey from the Alps for brilliance and luminosity. Honey means, however, that these are not vegan products. Sorry!

​And the cute little guy I’ll be working these with is even called the Raphaël Mini Precision Brush – Flat, size 2. It’s a synthetic watercolor brush, supposedly mimicking the exact performance of sable hair. Regrettably, I won’t be able to verify that

​My only minor complaint through this is the brush, which had a hair that was too long. Easy fix with scissors, and once everything was even, it painted wonderfully, and created surprisingly fine lines at the right angle! I’ll tell you what though, when they say these paints are luminous, it is not kidding. Even when diluted, that yellow is briiiight. The paper held the color well, but not so permanently that you couldn’t lift it with additional water if you chose to. The richness of the black could in itself work really well to do lineart for a piece, if you’re into that

​Another returning brand! This box contains a Faber-Castell Goldfaber Sketching Pencil (2H). If you’ve been keeping up on these reviews, you may recall a previous lesson where I explained the H/B thing you see on pencils. 2H is 2-Hardness, which means less graphite is deposited when using, leaving a lighter picture that is ideal for – tada! – sketching!

Pencils do pencil things! It sketches well and erases well, and the lines are easy to see without being dark. Essentially it does exactly what it says it’s going to – sketch :)

​The last piece is an item that I was super excited about, and I’m sorry, but I actually used it the same day I got it because I could not help myself. This Sakura Pigma Micron PN is one of the best things I’ve inked with in a long time. The PN stands for Plastic Nib, and creates fine or medium lines based on pressure. It works kind of like a fountain pen with the varying line widths, except it’s more user friendly to people that can’t handle pen pressure. Like me.

​Little Lady Watch Over You
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I already raved about this pen in the paragraph above, but let me just reinforce it again by saying this thing rocks. The line and ink quality are great, and because Sakura Micron’s are waterproof, you can easily bundle this with those fancy new watercolors you got

Mercy me. The water color paper I had on hand was not nearly as nice as the Fabriano, but the paints worked beautifully just the same! I'm still blown away by how bright this yellow is. My husband actually asked if I'd done this in highlighter, haha! The total retails value of this box was a bit over $37 USD, making it pay for itself with a $13 surplus! Definitely a wonderful selection this month, and I can't wait to put that pen to more use!

Want to own some of these art products yourself? Find them on Amazon!
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• Fabriano Artistico Watercolor Paper
•  Sennelier French Artists’ Watercolor ​​(Link is to a light grey)
• Raphael Mini Precision Brush
• Faber-Castell Goldfaber Sketching Pencil
• ​ Sakura Pigma Micron PN